Category: Features
Local scientists create software to help doctors with rare disease diagnosis
A team of scientists at A*STAR’s Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS) has created a new computer analysis software that cross-references a patient’s symptoms and a person’s genome sequence. The software, Phen-Gen, is the first of its kind and was created […]
Ebola virus … a losing battle?
GENEVA: The World Health Organisation has set up a task force with the global airline and tourism industry in an effort to contain the spread of Ebola. The UN agency is working hand in hand with the International Civil Aviation […]
Is papaya leaf juice a dengue cure?
PETALING JAYA: There is a frantic search for a dengue vaccination and the Ministry of Health is working with pharmaceutical firm Sanofi Pasteur on developing what will be the “first ever dengue vaccine in Asia” slated to be completed in […]
Does vitamin D help with asthma?
Asthma sufferers who received vitamin D supplements for six months, in addition to their regular inhalers, could breathe a little easier than those who relied only on the inhalers, in a recent study in Iran. The researchers say the results […]
Two cups of coffee a day while pregnant ‘raise baby’s leukaemia risk’
Pregnant women who drink just two cups of coffee a day could be putting their babies at risk of leukaemia. A major study has found that their babies are up to 60 per cent more likely to develop the disease […]
Vaccine against chikungunya developed
Scientists have developed a vaccine that may protect against chikungunya. Currently, there are not vaccines or specific drugs for treating the chikungunya virus, which is spread by mosquitoes. Ths vaccine was first tested successfully in 2010 on non-human primates. It […]
Immune cell discovery could help halt cancer spread
Researchers said MCL-1 could be a target for boosting or depleting natural killer cell populations to treat disease. Highly specialised immune cells, called natural killer cells, can play a critical role in killing melanoma cells that have spread to the […]
Top 10 risks of fast weight loss
The wish for fast weight loss is everybody’s dirty little secret. After all the excesses of December’s merry-making, your New Year resolution is to shed those extra pounds, and all of a sudden you notice a huge poster saying,’ lose […]
Swimming in summer and ear infections
Going to a swimming pool or a beach during summer vacation is quite enjoyable and indispensable. But while swimming, your ears could be affected when unclean water enters. When swimming or taking a shower and water gets into your ear, […]
Synthetic protein offers new hope for male infertility
A research team from Queen’s University led by Richard Oko, has indentified a method of inducing fertilization using a synthetic version of the protein PAWP found in sperm cells. Their findings could circumvent the problem for men whose sperm is […]
